The stars gathered on the red carpet for the first Cannes Film Festival in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
The stars gathered on the red carpet for the first Cannes Film Festival in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Actress Cate Blanchett and director Martin Scorsese stood arm in arm to officially open the festival on Tuesday against the backdrop of allegations of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry.
Disgraced movie mogul Weinstein was a regular fixture at the event.
Scorsese – whose film Taxi Driver had previously won the festival’s top award, the Palme d’Or – was brought out to officially open the festival with Blanchett.
Blanchett, a prominent member of the Time’s Up initiative, said the #MeToo movement – aimed at eradicating sexual harassment – will play a role at the festival and every one from now on.
She told the Associated Press: “Would I like to see more women in competition? Absolutely. Would I expect and hope that that’s going to happen in the future? I hope so.
“But we’re dealing with what we have that’s here. Our role is to, in this next almost two weeks, is deal with what’s in front of us.”
Cannes has previously come under fire for not awarding the Palme to more women.
Only one female filmmaker, Jane Campion, has won the prize.
This year, of the 21 films up for the gong, three are directed by women: Alice Rohrwacher, Nadine Labaki and Eva Husson.
Australian actress Blanchett said it will take time to ensure gender parity in the film industry.
She said: “Is (#MeToo) going to have a direct impact on the film in competition this year, six nine months on? Not specifically.
“There are several women in competition. But they’re not there because of their gender. They are there because of the quality of their work. We will assess them as filmmakers, as we should.”
Weinstein, who is facing multiple allegations of sexual impropriety, was a regular fixture at the festival.
Several of his alleged sex crimes are said to have taken place in Cannes.
This year, the festival has established a hotline for sexual harassment victims at Cannes.
Other stars spotted on the red carpet include Penelope Cruz and Kristen Stewart.
Ahead of this year’s festival, attendees were warned of a strict ban on selfies – but many were seen flouting the rules and taking pictures with their phones.
